April 27, 2017
Honda Begins New Joint Research in Artificial Intelligence
with Kyoto University Graduate School of Informatics
Honda Research Institute Japan Co., Ltd. (HRI-JP), a Honda R&D subsidiary, has established
a project team with the Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University and began joint
research this month to further accelerate research of artificial intelligence (AI).
Since its foundation, driven by a passion to provide people everywhere with the joy of
expanding their life’s potential, Honda has been striving to evolve mobility and improve the
daily lives of people all around the world with its products including motorcycles, automobiles
and power products.
In the midst of this pursuit, and with the advancement of digital technologies, Honda began to
see a growing possibility to create value in a wider range of fields beyond its current
businesses. Responding to such changes in the business environment, in addition to its
continuous pursuit of the art of making things (Mono-zukuri), Honda will take on new
challenges in enhancing brand story creation about the new value and experiences
(Koto-zukuri) Honda can provide through the art of making things. In this way, Honda will
strive to make people’s lives more enjoyable.
Honda believes that AI will be one of the technologies that will make people’s lives more
enjoyable, and therefore, Honda is striving to develop “AI that collaborates with people,” which
1) is capable of understanding and relating to the emotions of people, 2) accommodates and
grows together with people and 3) expands the potential of people who play the leading role.
In order to accelerate the development of such new AI, HRI-JP started the project and began
joint research with the Department of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School
of Informatics, Kyoto University. Professor Takatsune Kumada, who specializes in
psychoinformatics, will represent this project and Professor Hisashi Kashima, the department
head, also will personally participate in this project, with a goal to establish a concept under
which AI that collaborates with people will be broadly accepted and utilized in society.
Honda is envisioning a future society where mobility products and robots equipped with such
AI are trusted just like family members and are useful as part of people’s everyday lives. In
order to continue providing people everywhere with the joy of expanding their life’s potential,
Honda will continue to strive to create more and more innovations.
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■ Comments by Professor Takatsune Kumada, Department of Intelligence Science and
Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University
“We have high expectations for Honda’s creativity and technological strengths as well as
HRI’s research and development capability. Creating a new concept of AI and presenting it to
our society is also a very attractive challenge for us in the world of academia. Moreover, we
would like to explore new ways of collaboration between industry and academia through this
project.”
■ Comments by Hiroshi Tsujino, President & CEO, Honda Research Institute Japan Co., Ltd.
“HRI has a long history of conducting joint research with the Department of Intelligence
Science and Technology at Graduate School of Kyoto University, which has top-class
researchers in a range of areas that include discovering how human beings process
information, theory establishment and intelligent information processing. Through this new
project we have just begun, we would like to continue proposing new AI research.”
<About Kyoto University>
Established: June 1897
Location: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
Representative: Juichi Yamagiwa, President
<About Honda Research Institute Japan Co., Ltd.>
Established: January 2003
Location: Wako, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Representative: Hiroshi Tsujino, President & CEO
Capitalization ratio: 100% Honda R&D Co., Ltd.
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(The site is intended exclusively for the use of journalists.)
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